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Lamb's House, Burgess Street

A 16thC merchant's house, used latterly as a Day Centre for the Elderly, awaits a new future.

Tradition has it that Mary, Queen of Scots, on landing in Leith in 1561 and finding no official reception party to welcome her, was received into the house of Andrew Lamb where she was entertained until escorted to Holyrood Palace in the early evening. This is at variance with an account by one of her courtiers, Pierre de Bourdeilles, who describes a warm welcome, although Mary seems to have been less than impressed. He wrote, "We were coming in to land at Leith, when all the principal people of Leith and Edinburgh rushed up to welcome their Queen ... on seeing such preparations, the Queen burst into tears and said, these were not the pomp and pageantry, the magnificence ... she had enjoyed so long, but since her paradise must be changed into hell, she must be patient."

Knox explains the lack of preparation as follows, "The ninetein Day of August 1561 Yeirs, betwene seven and eicht Hours Befoirnone, arryved Marie Quene of Scotland, then Wedo, with two Gallies furth of France... Becaus the Palace of Halyrudehous was not throuchly put in Ordour (for hir cumming was more suddane then many luiked for), sche remained in Leyth, till towards the Evening, and then repaired thither".

His description of her arrival shows that he, too, was less than enthusiastic.

"...the very face of heaven dod manifestlie speak what comfort was brought to this country with hir - to wit, sorrow, dolour, darkness, and all impiety; for in the memory of man never was seyn a more dolorous face of the heaven than was at her arryvall ... the myst was so thick that skairse mycht onie man espy another; and the sun was not seyn to shyne two days befoir nor two days after."

The link shows how the House looked in better days NT2776 : Andrew Lamb's House

NT2573 : William Hole painting in the City Chambers